ned back to the ladder
and climbed down to the air lock. He stepped inside, and crossing to the
small viewport, looked out over the dead landscape of the tiny world for
a sign of Quent Miles. He saw the black-clad spaceman returning toward
the hut. Roger held his breath. If Miles went into the hut this time and
found him missing, he would know that the cadet was aboard the ship.
"Manning," Roger said to himself, "if you ever needed luck, you need it
now!"

Miles walked slowly, as if in no hurry, still heading for the space hut.
But as Roger held his breath in fear, he passed it again, without so
much as pausing to look at it.

Roger grinned. "Spaceman, you are going to say your prayers every night
after this," he murmured.

The cadet turned, and racing as fast as the cumbersome space suit would
allow him, headed toward the power deck. Passing the galley, he snatched
up several plastic packages of food.

Down on the power deck, Roger went directly to the lead baffling shields
around the reactant chambers and carefully squeezed between them and the
outer hull. It was going to be a rough ride on the power deck, jammed in
behind the firing chambers, but at least he was hidden--and more
important, _free_.

He listened for the clank of metal shoes on the ladder above him. When
he heard them, followed closely by the slam of the air-lock portal, he
grinned in satisfaction. Opening one of the plastic bags, he began to
eat.

In a moment the ship came to life and the power deck became a raging
torrent of noise and vibration. As Roger braced himself, he felt the
ship quiver and then shake, as under heavy acceleration, it blasted off
into space.

* * * * *

Captain Strong and young Sergeant Morgan hailed a passing jet truck
loaded with Space Marines. "Get me to Commander Walters right away,
Lieutenant!" said Strong to the young officer in charge. "This is an
emergency."

"Yes, sir," acknowledged the young officer, and sent the truck roaring
down the empty avenue toward the electronics building where Walters was
still checking the reports on the screens.

"Is there anything new, sir?" asked the young officer. "Have the
technicians been able to find out what's making the screens fail?"

"We're on the right track, Lieutenant," said Strong shortly. "Can't you
get any more speed out of this thing?"

[Illustration: _It would be a rough ride, but at least he was hidden_]

"Yes, sir," replied